Manufacturing Can’t Run on Heroics Alone – Even If We Love Butch
In manufacturing, there’s always a story about someone saving the day. I’ve heard them for over forty years. A production order for a critical customer is being set up to run this morning. During setup, it is discovered that the roll of material for the order is the wrong grade. Panic ensues, fingers are about to be pointed, chaos is brewing – and suddenly there’s Butch! Butch explains that the last time this part was run, he stashed an extra roll of the proper material in the back of the warehouse.
I love Butch. We all do, but I’m going to say something that might sound harsh: Butch is not a business strategy.
The Problem With Heroes
I’ve spent my career in factories that make everything from spaghetti sauce to complex machine tools, and I’ve noticed something consistent: manufacturers are masters of improvisation. We’re good at figuring things out on the fly.
But the problem is, we start relying on it. We romanticize heroics instead of fixing the underlying problems. Sure, Butch looks like a hero when he produces a magical roll of material out of thin air, but here’s what people miss:
“Butch has cost the company money over and over again because he’s running to the Butch parameters, not the business parameters.”
We can’t keep depending on the Butch System because when Butch retires, or takes a two-week vacation, the company is suddenly in trouble.
Disruption Is Not New
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, everybody loves to talk about disruption. Supply chain issues, labor shortages, tariffs – it’s all disruption. The reality is: Disruption has always been part of manufacturing. There’s always something.
What’s changed is that we talk about it more. Back in the day, we just called it “another Tuesday.”
The goals remain the same: lower your operational costs and grow your revenue. Everything else – OEE, cash flow, KPIs – is in service of those two outcomes.
Awareness Beats Firefighting
I’ve sat in a lot of factories where people are proud of how fast they can solve emergencies. They’ve built careers on putting out fires. That said, the manufacturers who really thrive are the ones who step back and look at root causes. They know their processes inside and out. They’re not blindsided when the tide goes out.
Awareness of what really is your process, and awareness of who you want to be, is the key to resilience.
Adaptability is not just a buzzword. It’s about designing systems and processes that can handle surprises without needing someone to reach under their desk for a miracle.
The Carpet Story
Here’s how I think about systems like ERP: When I moved into my house, the carpet was brand new. Over the years, it got worn. A bleach spill left a white spot. So we threw a rug over it. Eventually, there was a tear we learned to step over.
We lived like that for 15 years because it “worked.” When it came time to sell the house, we finally replaced the carpet, and suddenly the whole place looked better and the value of the house increased.
Manufacturers do the same thing. They patch and work around problems. They cover up inefficiencies instead of fixing them. Until one day, they’re forced to replace the entire system – in a panic, during a crisis.
Stop Waiting for Crisis
My point is simple: resilience shouldn’t be accidental. It should be intentional. Don’t wait for the carpet to be shredded. Don’t wait for Butch to retire.
Ask yourself this question:
“If Butch took a two-week vacation tomorrow, would our plant still run smoothly?”
If the answer is “maybe not”, then it’s time to start treating resilience as a business strategy, not an act of heroism. Don’t forget that in manufacturing, the tide always goes out and, as Warren Buffett likes to say, that’s when you find out who’s been swimming naked.
